“Apocalypse PA,” the History Channel show that features a Nazareth man who desires a self-sufficient lifestyle, premiered Tuesday, and if the two episodes represent what the show would be, it looks far more like Discovery Channel’s MythBusters than a militia in the making.

The two episodes detailing the life of Frank Belcastro — which are essentially a pilot; executive producer Steve Rotfeld of The WorkShop in Bryn Mawr said if the show tests well it could become a series – focused far more on contraptions Belcastro built.

That’s fine – him converting a truck to run on burning wood or horse dung or building a still were pretty cool. I’d watch another episode.

But the whole “survivalist” theme of the show seemed overdone. From the show’s title to its depiction of the Belcastros’ as living in a secluded area to its frequent interjected explanations, it seemed to strain to add the apocalypse theme to the story of a guy who simply likes to tinker – and maybe yearns for simpler days.

“My dad is almost like a modern-day Ben Franklin,” Belcastro’s son, Adam, said in the first episode. “He’s always working on something and kind of scheming to come up with these new ideas. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”

That seems a pretty true characterization of Belcastro, and to me would be a good enough premise for a show — him building and trying stuff out — without the “apocalypse” mumbo-jumbo. Like the bicycle-powered microwave it showed at the start of the show.

But in the voiceover introduction, Belcastro says, “My name is Frank and I’m not crazy. I know the world’s not ending anytime soon. But just in case, I want to be ready.

“Back in the day, our grandparents and great grandparents — I mean, they knew how to take care of themselves. Nowadays, it seems everybody depends on somebody else. So my family is declaring a new independence day. We are going to learn to fend for ourselves — whether we like it or not.”

Despite being set in rural Nazareth, the show gave little indication of its locale – introduced as “somewhere in Pennsylvania” and showing no areas of town or anything that would let watchers know where the Belcastros live [are you listening, Gosselins?]

The only local reference was Dixon’s Muzzleloading shop in Kempton, where Belcastro goes with Adam in the second episode to get a gun. It names the shop, but doesn’t say it’s in Kempton.

Plus, the Belcastros have what appears to be a pretty nice spread of land, meaning the show can be shot without landmarks.

But that also plays into the show’s disingenuousness. It never tells you the reason Belcastro has such a big spread is because he runs a construction business that has worked on TV shows such as “Trading Spaces.” With no information, the viewer is left to believe his family is some self-sufficient enclave way out in the wilds of PA.

And there were some very obvious set-up scenes: For example goats the family buys for milk [“in case there’s a milk shortage”] somehow get in the house.

Ha! I’ll be darned. How did that happen? And the cameras were right there!

The goats do urinate and defecate in the house.

Beyond that, the show is pretty interesting because of the contraptions. The wood/manure-powered truck scenes include a lot of sanding and grinding and welding.

The cool thing is that they actually get the truck to run on burning wood – and manure from the goats [“we’ll dry it in the oven,” Belcastro tells his gagging wife, Kim] and horses that Adam scoops up from the yard.

They also learn to milk the goat and drink it around the table [daughter Emma, 24, notes there’s hair in the milk]. Emma falls in love with the goats as her dad talks about all the ways you can eat goat meat.

In the second episode, they build a still [saying, uh, alcohol can be used to barter if the economy collapses], using a lawn mower to grind corn for mash. Adam drinks the final product for his 21st birthday. Much is made about whether making moonshine whiskey is legal [the question is not resolved on the show; but “technically, probably not,” Belcastro says].

And they visit the gun shop, prompting them to also mix their own gunpowder [from chemicals they happen to have around the house, I guess] and create their own bullets in a lead mold. Then they fire the gun, and a pretty cool mini-cannon that Belcastro builds.

That leads to yet another unnecessary “apocalypse” reference.

“It’s a hard enough taking an animal’s life for food,” Belcastro says. “I would hate to find myself in a situation where I had to take another human being’s life. But if we found ourselves in a true refugee situation where it was a choice between them or me and my family — better them than us.”

Adam says, “to be self-sufficient is liberating. I feel empowered. I feel like a man.”

For me, I’d say that if “Apocalypse PA” becomes a series, keep inventions, lose the indoctrination.

Current Comments

I can make a real good beerand some nice wine and I know how to make a passable shine. I'm originally from S.C.. And I plead with you please never build a still using solder. It contains lead. alcohol leaches lead and it's the lead that makes you blind. If you overcook corn you get over cooked corn not formaldehyde. Test me and put some corn meal on the stove in a pot and bring it up to 50 deg C. for an hour then to 70 deg C. for an hour and check it by taking some in a spoon and cool it then check to see if it is sticky. It will be. That's sugar. Now bring it to a boil. That's right just boil the tar out of it. Now do you really think you made formaldehyde? you didn't you just boiled corn. Two still nevers, never use lead in any form and never keep the first little bit that comes out of the worm.

Posted By: Herb | Nov 22, 2010 2:54:07 PM

Oh yeah by the way. Consider using cane instead of corn. It doesn't need to be mashed and it isn't a foodstuff that would be in demand in an emergency situation. Let's see make a few gallons of shine or feed my family for a month hmm! Also spoiled fruit and other sweet stuff works good. And to bend a worm fill the tube with sand smash the ends and make the worm then cut off the ends and clean out the sand, no kinks. have fun.

Posted By: Herb | Nov 22, 2010 2:58:20 PM

I just found the two shows that have already been commented on so well above.
MY constructive comments would be that I would focus less on the family contrived responses and just approach the ideas like Mythbusters. Keep the family support but skip the pooping goats on the house furniture.
There is so many ideas that this guy can explore, a real fun show in the making.

Posted By: Paul | Nov 22, 2010 3:09:12 PM

Can't wait to see more.

Posted By: Brian | Nov 22, 2010 7:10:01 PM

What I know is if I do what Jesus tell me to do , me and my family are goin to heven before the apocalypsis begins, this people are not sure whats goin to happend. I`m sure where I goin do You?

Posted By: Cristo Amistad | Nov 22, 2010 7:21:15 PM

This guy is a complete "poser". Watching him take his 21 yr old son for his first gun? I live in the real PA and he would be laughed out of here. We get guns in our hands from age 5. We live like he dreams he could. Leigh Valley is up-scale yuppie land. Head to Perry county and get an education.

Posted By: TT | Nov 22, 2010 7:53:37 PM

Neat program and inventive guy but far from any kind of survivalist. Most your constructions require support of modern tools, electricity, gas engines, formed copper sheeting, manufactured potassium nitrate, store bought mass manufactured guns welding gear etc etc. While clever, the manufactured half of the materials the hosts use in their projects would be just about as hard to obtain as just going out and buying the completed items. Program would be more interesting seeing various products started from scratch where all ingredients were collected a processed as they would be in a "real" survival situation. As it stands, the program is merely an exercise in cool things you can build with a pile of resources that would often be unobtainable were society to actually break down.

Posted By: Mel Hixson | Nov 22, 2010 8:07:51 PM

Regarding the black powder gun as a survival tool. Properly stored modern ammo can be very viable after a couple of generations ( 40+ years) Most likely is for someone to come around your farm with a real modern gun, shoot you all from distance before you can even shoot or reload a black powder gun and take all your supplies and survival gear. Maybe after civilization has disappeared for fifty or sixty years black powder might become relevant but until the modern weapons are all useless, only thing you'll become is a victim and a source of resources for the folks who prey on you

Posted By: Mel Hixson | Nov 22, 2010 8:15:20 PM

super show Ill be there we do alot of that kind of stuff here most people just dont get it. thanks

Posted By: don | Nov 23, 2010 12:05:55 PM

I thought this was a fun, and enjoyable show. With all the blogs, and comments about it, i'm sure there is enough interest for the producers to carry this show forward. I am very happy about that!
I stumbled upon this show, as many of you did, and like many of you, i found it fun, and entertaining.
There are SO many different possible episodes i can envision.

Posted By: James | Nov 25, 2010 4:30:31 PM

I also stumbled accross this and have to say if we could tone down the language a level, it could prove to be very eye opening as to the possibilities and the need for us to take better care of our environment.

Posted By: James (Tom) Bailey | Nov 27, 2010 5:24:06 PM

I absolutely loved this show! Everyone should learn to master being self sufficient. The knowledge and experimental inventions are a treasure. Thanks, I will be watching.

Posted By: Mike Woolf | Nov 27, 2010 8:33:27 PM

hey, this is such a great show and me and my family like studying about the rapture and what it says in the bible about whats going to happen and we all should be prepared no matter when its gonna happen me and my family like this show so much that we were thinking about doing what yuo guys have been doing in the show

Posted By: tabitha | Nov 29, 2010 4:58:27 PM

ha i wanna do all these things on my own. it would suck not knoing how to survive wenever the world comes to an end.. go APOCALYPSE P.A!!!!!!!

Posted By: Bailey | Nov 29, 2010 5:09:10 PM

The wood burning car was cool. Apparently there were about a million of them during WW2. FEMA published directions on how to do it. Maybe we all need a little indoctrination just in case. Everything we buy is made in China. What happens if they get mad at us?

Posted By: Ken Carlson | Nov 30, 2010 11:32:31 PM

i love the show! granted i have been up working for 2 days and just as i'm cozying in to bed and nodding off two episodes keep me excited enough to wright a comment. the show is funny, its entertaining, and full of educational material. it is good to know i'm not the only one who can do just about anything. it is interesting to note how Caucasus we free-ish Americans are of exercising our freedoms for fear of punishment. i love your bravery live your life and pursue your happiness. i for one am tired of getting unnecessary permits because i cant risk paying a lawyer to protect my freedoms. thanks keep em coming smooth out the bumps don't worry about the opening they are expensive. wate until season 2 or something

Posted By: fort Wayne, in | Dec 3, 2010 2:35:12 AM

This show is great. I hope they have many more Episodes.
I would to see them talk to the neighbors to see what they have to say about the family.

Posted By: Neverrude | Dec 6, 2010 9:40:31 AM

I enjoyed the show ! 1 a 1851 pistol will not be worth anything after 6 shots ! I can walk 1/2 mile while you reload it , The black powder will work in straight walled cartridges , so if you are going to have a cap and ball pistol ! as said you will need caps /primers ! better to stock up on certerfire primers for a 45/70 lg rifle primers and lg pistol primers and reloading gear , anyone who would come after the country collapsed , would attack at night or just walk up to you during the day with a sniper backing them up and you would never know what hit you , this is 2010 not 1860 ! load up on 30 cal ammo and get a read collection of forearms AR 15 , and powder to last you a life time ! shot guns you can reload with black powder get primers lots of primers ! get a shot gun slug mold , a shotgun will defend your home inside better that a 1851 6 shot pistol ! #4 shot will do the job very well . Oh That still !!! I looked up making ethanol , seems it is illegal ! law is not very clear about this task There is a permit to be applied for making moon , as far as fines ??? anyone know that answer for PA residents ???
I enjoyed your show hope to see it fly ! concho

Posted By: concho | Dec 7, 2010 10:34:22 AM

I've seen both episodes and absolutely love it. I am crossing my fingers that we get more episodes. As far as the references to the apocalypse (indoctrination) I'd say that makes the show even better! I'm not one of those wacky guys that think the world will end in 2012 but people really do need to be self sufficient because anything could happen sometime in the future. The characters are great, the information is great, and it is very humorous.

Posted By: Rob | Dec 13, 2010 11:14:25 AM

Looks like I am late to the party, but I just came across this article. I love the show, but the article seems pretty unfair to the show (perhaps tainted by the author's entrenched political opinions - after all, anything that smacks of self sufficiency is an anathema to the left).